* Promises better, prosperous Nigeria in 2018
* Osinbajo spends Christmas at fuel depots
* Says FG won’t increase fuel price
President Muhammadu Buhari has lamented that 2017 has been a tough and tormentous year for Nigeria and her people, saying that he wished that the country would not witness a year like the outgoing 2017.
But President Buhari has said that the incoming 2018 would be better and prosperous for Nigeria, urging the people to remain steadfast.
The President stated this on Monday when he played host to political, religious and traditional leaders of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), who paid him Christmas homage at his official residence in Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Buhari said: “It has been a tough year for Nigeria and I hope next year will be a much more prosperous one. But those listening to the press are the majority of us; the rainy season was very good and some states have got very good information from home.
“I never knew that the people from Kano who are more resourceful used to go to my area (Daura, Katsina State) and hire farms. This year, nobody hired farm, and nobody regretted it.
“Again, the second one from the Governor of Sokoto State (Aminu Tambuwal) said all the people that really used to go to Mecca are farmers but he didn’t tell me if they took additional wives.
“But I am very pleased people have gone back to the land with very good harvests and taking their priorities and the good thing about farming is, if you don’t put your hope on neighbour, hope on the government, once you pay your debt, nobody will ask you what you do with the balance and nobody asks for interest. This is one good thing about farming.
“But other things, I think the burden will be on my neck, I thank you very much for coming especially the religious leaders. I am very pleased you are doing your best from the intelligence I am getting to make sure that people live as good neigbours and good Nigerians.”
President Buhari also thanked his guests for taking time out on a very important day to come out and spend it with him.
Speaking on the difficulties and challenges that characterized the outgoing year and how he regained his health, President said: “It has been a tormentous year. I am thinking I am 75, I thought I was 74 but I was told I was 75.
I have never been so sick even during the 30 months civil war, I was stumbling under farm of yams or cassava but this sickness, I don’t know but I came out better.
“All those who saw me before and when I came back said I look much better, but I have explained it to the public that as a General, I used to give orders, now I take orders. The doctors told me to feed my stomach and sleep for longer hours; that is why I am looking much better.
“I thank you very much for coming and making all the sacrifice because today is a crowded day for me. From early in the morning until maybe the following morning with the family and friends and neigbours.
“One thing I learnt to respect is good neighbourliness both at individual and national level. That was why when I was elected, my first trip was Chad, Niger, Cameroon and Benin Republic.
“If you are in good terms with your neighbours, then you can make some savings for development but if you start fighting your neighbours, then am afraid the resources you have you will lose it in trying to be very cleaver.
“So, I try to be very close to my neighbours both individually and nationally. I thank you very much for being very good neighbours, including the one on my left (referring to a PDP federal lawmaker, Senator Philip Aduda).
Some of the dignitaries that paid Christmas homage to the President include Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mohammed Bello, the Archbishop of Abuja Archdiocese, John Cardinal Onaiykan, Executive Secretary, Nigerian Christian Pilgrims Board, Tor Ujah, Senator Philip Aduda, who represents FCT, the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, and Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Pastor Usani Uguru Usani among others.
In a related development, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Monday spent the Christmas day at fuel depots in Lagos to monitor the loading of trucks and to ensure steady supply of petrol to designated filling stations.
This information is contained in a tweet on the twitter handle of the presidency, @NGRPresident.
The post read: “This morning the Vice-President is visiting fuel depots in Lagos to monitor the loading of trucks, and to ensure distribution is going on without a hitch.’’
A statement by the Vice President spokesman, Mr Laolu Akande, also quoted Osinbajo as saying that, “It is such a shame that Christmas has been, to some extent, with this sort of discomfort. This is deeply regretted.
“And l know that, despite the resilience and strength of people in Lagos and the Nigerian people, we would see ourselves through this and will enjoy our Christmas and have a great New Year.”
According to the vice president, the Buhari administration is doing everything possible to quickly resolve the fuel shortages experienced by Nigerians.
NAN reports that fuel scarcity during festive periods is a recurrent feature in Nigeria, although it disappeared in the last two years.
The scarcity is said to be caused by greedy marketers who tried to take undue advantage of the high inter-state movements during the season.
In some states a litre of fuel rose to between N200 and N300 or above per litre as against the official pump price of N145.
Meanwhile, Osinbajo has restated that the federal government has no plans to increase the pump price of petrol in 2018.
Osinbajo gave the assurance on Monday during his visit to fuel depots in Lagos where he monitored the loading of trucks to ensure steady supply of petrol to designated filling stations.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Osinbajo visited some major fuel depot terminals and stakeholders in Apapa and other parts of Lagos on Christmas Day.
According to the vice president, the fuel scarcity facing the country is as a result of shortage of supply to depots across the country.
He said, “The president is very much concerned about Nigerians and how we can quickly end the fuel scarcity crisis in the country.
“The fuel crisis presently confronting the country is as a result of shortage of supply of fuel to depots across the country.
“We hope that in the next couple of days, we would be able to end the fuel queues.”
He said that any marketer who hoarded petroleum products for the purpose of making extra profit would be dealt with by the enforcement agency saddled with the responsibility of regulating the sector.
Earlier at the stakeholders interaction meeting, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu, said that the long queues would be over by Wednesday.
Kachikwu, who noted that over 150 trucks were supplying fuel daily, added that there had been series of meetings and consultations with the oil marketers.
He said that he would meet with the Group Managing Director of NNPC, Maikanti Baru, to put together structures and additional plans to end the fuel shortage currently facing the country.
NAN recalls that Osinbajo had on Christmas Eve made an unexpected stopover at some filling stations in Lekki and other parts of Lagos Island to assess the fuel situation.
According to the vice president, the Buhari administration is doing everything possible to quickly resolve the fuel shortage experienced by Nigerians.
President Buhari had on Sunday sympathised with Nigerians over their suffering occasioned by the scarcity of petrol across the country.
The President added that he had already directed the regulators to step up their surveillance and bring an end to hoarding of the products and price inflation by marketers.
Fuel scarcity during festive periods has become a recurring feature in Nigeria, although it disappeared in the last two years.
In some states, a litre of fuel rose to between N200 and N300 per litre as against the official pump price of N145.
Mathew Dadiya, Abuja
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